I have spent the morning learning more about our area and all the happenings here!
Leaving on November 28 from Montreal, Quebec, finishing up in Port Moody, B.C., on December 18, The Canadian Holiday Train will embark on its two-week journey. Bring a cash or food donation to the Holiday Train event in our community and help feed the need. This is the 11th year that the Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train has been raising food, money and awareness for food banks in communities across Canada.
Schedule for Monday, November 30
Perth – 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Wilson St. railway crossing, South side
Belleville – 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., South Church St. railway crossing, south of Dundas St. East
Trenton – 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., Railway crossing at West Street
Brighton – 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., East of railway crossing at Prince Edward St.
Bowmanville – 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Scugog Road railway crossing
Oshawa – 8:45 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., CP level railway crossing at Thornton Road
For more information check out www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/General+Public/Holiday+Train.

Living here at Loughbreeze Bay has many interesting facets, just imagine the North Shore of Lake Ontario with all it’s natural beauty. We are blessed by an abundance of small wildlife, birds of every sort, deer, the occasional fox and skunk plus incredible sunrises with clear clean night skies fully enhanced by nature’s moon and star light. All of this as well as a neighbour whose fame and unprecedented accomplishments date back to the late 1930’s and World War 2. So famous indeed, that Canada Post is issuing a Commemorative Stamp in her honour, on October 17, 2009, her 90th birthday. Yes, Vi Milstead was one of Canada’s first female pilots. Her career began with an uncompromising dedication to becoming a pilot and carried her into military service ferrying an assortment of planes from Canada to England (ATA) during the war years. Local folklore relates she was so small, that she was forced to sit on a parachute pack to reach the controls of some of the aircraft.
Today, Vi lives on Lake Ontario’s north shore in an environmentally friendly home complete with wind generator for her electricity. On July 29, 2004 , Her Excellency the Right honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada appointed Vi Milstead to the Order of Canada. Learn more about this dedicated and courageous lady at www. canadian99s.org/articles/p_milstead.htm . also log on to Cramahe-now. blogspot and open the archives section Aug.16-23 and Oct.11-18 located further down the right side of the page cramahe-now.blogspot.com Watch the video from the CBC Archives “Spitfires in the Rhododendrons” where you can see Vi recounting those unforgettable times of flying in the Air Transport Auxiliary. Go to archives.cbc.ca, and search by the title “Spitfires in the Rhododendrons”.
Congratulations Vi! We at Loughbreeze Bay B & B salute you for your unselfish life time of service and we are looking forward to seeing you.

We are so lucky to have great business neighbours. This summer, we hosted a family from that wonderful southern state of Alabama. Imagine! They had driven all that way in their huge dual wheel pick up, towing a 40 foot open trailer. They were here in Colborne to pick up their custom built copulas from Country Classics Cupolas. www.cupola.ca, Wow! The good folks at Country Classics Cupolas called us to make a reservation for their American visitors. The weary travellers needed a place to stay for two nights, while their cupolas were loaded and they visited our area. It was a pleasure to welcome them. Due to their late arrival, after 9 PM, we quickly russled up some of Canada’a best steaks on our barbeque. As you can imagine, most of the dinner conversation covered their trip, highlighted with details about their stopover at the Hershey Chocolate Amusement Park in Hershey, PA www.hersheypark.com,. The next night, again over supper , we were delighted to learn about their exciting day of horseback riding.

For us, the visit was two days of many exciting exchanges. They told us of their own horses, outlined their riding accomplishments and described their training facility. Too soon, Big John, the father, announced that it was time for bed, advising us that they would be leaving very, very early. With the truck and loaded trailer parked comfortably in the yard, we hustled off to bed just before midnight. Four AM came around pretty quickly but sure enough, we were all there for the departure, shaking hands, handing out snack bags and John clutching his Customs Pre Clearance papers. With everyone buckled in, the Country Classic Cupolas began their journey to their new Alabama home. Our guests are always enriching our lives. We will never forget Big John and his family coming to Colborne, Ontario from Alabama to purchase their cupolas. It was great thrill for us! Congratulations “Country Classic Cupolas” and thanks for your referral.

When we were planning our Loughbreeze Bay B&B and Hostel opening, I tried to imagine the people who would visit our paradise. I thought that most would be tourists, travelling through, wanting to see some of our spectacular attractions. Determined to please and help them plan their stay, we secured a myriad of local maps, accompanied by a host of pamphlets about on-going events and popular sites. We scouted the area for unique attractions from the Corn Maze, Riding Stables, Wineries to Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas.
Surprise! Surprise! What we have noticed is that many of our guests are quite familiar with our area. They have relatives and friends close by. They stay with us to extend their family visits, for weddings, anniversaries and regular family reunions. We are their home away from home. It’s a niche that has proven to be a great source of local stories past and present. We welcome you to come and share with us.
Looking forward to seeing you!